St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish

Transcription

1 St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish December 16, 2018 MISSION STATEMENT We Worship ~ We Teach ~ We Care 5112 Pocono Crest Road PO Box O Pocono Pines, PA Mass Schedule: Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 8:00 am & 10:30 am Saturday Confessions 3:00 pm

2 December 16, rd Sunday of Advent St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish Staff Reverend Sean G. Carpenter ~ Pastor Deacon Frank Gisoldi Deacon Tom Amoroso Melissa Laverty Pastoral Associate ~ St.MaxMelissa@outlook.com Coordinator of Religious Education Marion Colvin Office Manager ~ mcol@ptd.net John Marcinkowski, Jr. Coordinator of Music ~ jjm1105@ptd.net GOSPEL MEDITATION In Christianity, we hear often about the "Good News." We might often associate it with Jesus' compassion to the poor, his healings and miracles, and the salvation he won for us. In today's Gospel, we read of John the Baptist. "Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people." Yet as we examine the rest of the reading, we see examples of John's preaching. If you have two cloaks, give one away. Don't cheat others out of their money, extort, or lie. And, of course, the warning that the Messiah is on the move and "his winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Not only do John's listeners enjoy his message, but they seem to think he might be the awaited Messiah! To understand today's Gospel, it's important to understand the Jewish people. For most of their history, God's chosen people had been under someone else's heel. They were slaves in Egypt. Their kingdoms were ravaged first by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians. Now they were under the yoke of the Roman Empire. Familiar with being strangers in a strange land, welcoming the stranger, caring for the vulnerable, and enacting justice was incredibly important to them as a people. While John's words may seem odd or strong to our modern ears, this call to justice was welcome, even if it was directed at the hearer. The truth is, no one is exempt from John's call to repentance. We all have further to go in the Christian life. We can all grow in virtue and love our neighbors more generously. The Church gives us the Advent season to examine our own hearts. Did any of John's warnings resonate with you? That could be a great thing to bring to Jesus this week! Visit us on the

3 December 15th through December 23rd Saturday 4:00 pm William Binns Jr. by Bill and Eileen Binns Sunday 8:00 am Derek John DeVito by Marie DeVito 10:30 am For The Parishioners Monday 9:15 am Ashley Morrison by M/M Robert Zito Tuesday 9:15 am Timothy Turner by Pat Baker Wednesday 9:15 am Eugene Gartner & Daughter Denise by Joan Gartner Thursday 9:15 am Edward Guanta by His Mother Friday 9:15 am Communion Service Saturday 4:00 pm Susan Wanko by George Wanko Sunday 8:00 am For The Parishioners 10:30 am Anne Marie Alcamo by Nat Alcamo 9:15 am mass will still be celebrated when we have a funeral mass that day. Christmas Services at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish Christmas Eve Monday, Dec. 24th 5 pm - Christmas Family Liturgy 8 pm - Mass During the Night Christmas Day Tuesday, Dec. 25th 10:30 am - The Nativity of the Lord Saturday: Sir 48:1-4, 9-11; Mt 17:9a, Sunday: Zep 3:14-18a; Phil 4:4-7; Lk 3:10-18 Monday: Gn 49:2, 8-10; Mt 1:1-17 Tuesday: Jer 23:5-8; Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Lk 1:5-25 Thursday: Is 7:10-14; Lk 1:26-38 Friday: Sg 2:8-14; Lk 1:39-45 Saturday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; Lk 1:46-56 Next Sunday: Mi 5:1-4a; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 Confessions -Saturday 3 pm First Friday Adoration held after 9:15 am Communion Service each month. Weekly Collection 12/02/18... $ 5,144. Diocese Collection for Care & Education Thank You for Your Generosity.

4 FAITH FORMATION NEWS Saturday, December 22: Celebration of the Sacrament of First Reconciliation Sunday, December 23 No Class Sunday, December 30 No Class Sunday, January 20 No Class Saturday, March 30: First Communion Retreat, 10 a.m. Sunday, April 28: Celebration of the Sacrament of First Communion, 10:30 a.m. Mass Sunday, June 9: Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation at 10:30 a.m. Mass GOD BLESS OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION STUDENTS CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENT OF FIRST PENANCE THIS MONTH Prayers are requested for our second grade students celebrating the Sacrament of First Penance on Saturday, December 22, at 12 p.m.: Chloe Cosentino Damarion Daguio Gianna Masotti Rory Murphy Christopher Pimpinell Ajay Reese Teacher: Mrs. Ann Negvesky RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CANCELLATION PROCEDURES Parents, in the event of inclement weather, you will receive an from Melissa, Coordinator of Religious Education, if classes are cancelled. If you do not receive regular s from the parish, kindly contact the parish office to ensure we have your most recent address. You may also call the parish office on Sunday morning to check if classes are cancelled Faith Formation ADVENT SCRIPTURE STUDY Through December 18, every Tuesday morning at 10:15 a.m. in Our Lady of the Lake Hall. During the Advent season, we will discuss the Infancy Narratives of Jesus according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. For more information, call or stop by the parish office. JEFF CAVINS BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. and now Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact June Schott at SIGN UP ONLINE TO HAVE THE BEST ADVENT EVER Visit DynamicCatholic.com/best-advent-ever to sign up to receive daily Advent reflections. The Best Advent Ever is a free program that will help you slow down and focus on what matters most during this busy season and allows you to experience Advent in a whole new way. Sign up today! THANK YOU TO OUR PARISHIONERS Thank you to our parishioners who selected from our Giving Tree the names of children served by the Top Of the Mountain Ecumenical Food Pantry at Five Loaf House and purchased gifts of clothing for those children. The food pantry reports that thanks to the generosity of the churches on the Pocono Plateau, 270 children received gifts. The food pantry and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish warmly thank you for your generosity and caring. THE ANNUAL KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CHRISTMAS PARTY! Don t miss the Parish Christmas Party, sponsored by the Knights, on Sunday, December 16, at 2 p.m. All ages welcome. Sign-up at the exits and bring along a dessert to share, if you are able. We hope to see you there!

5 Parish Life at St. Max Mon., Dec. 17th - K of C Meeting - 7 pm Tues., Dec. 18th - Scripture Sharing - 10:30 am - Prayer Shawl Meeting - 6:30 pm Wed., Dec. 19th - Adult Choir Practice - 7 pm Thurs., Dec. 20th - Living Nativity Practice - 6 pm Sat., Dec. 22nd - First Penance - 12 pm - First Penance Party - 1 pm Through the footprints of faith we see in Jesus everything that God is. No one has see God, but God is the One and Only, who...has made him known. ~John 1:18 Footprints by Margaret Fishback Powers Jay Crandall ~ Daniella Maldanado Betty Colburn ~ Bill Gleason Darrin Rockefeller ~ Kyle Brennan Sr. Marietta ~ Lou Larson ~ Robyn Mappa Joseph McKenna ~ Louis Siroco Bob Ruezinsky ~ Fr. Urban Margaret Broderick ~ Cecilia McIlvenny Frank Ware ~ Richard Snell - Kim Maria Giganti Michael F. Romano ~ Vivian Kanopp Violet Sloat ~ Marin Stober ~ Kathleen Hanratty Jennifer Royall ~ David Mancuso ~ Paul Fulton Deacon Frank ~ Antoinette Gisoldi ~ John Schriever Lisa Champney ~ Rosa Santos ~ Leslie Fox Crystal Martinez ~ Penny Staph ~ Carolyn Donahue Sharon Jones ~Terry & Jeanie Howe Gunner Gonzalez ~ Grace Bush Irene Halupa ~ Alice & Eileen O Neill Jim McLaine ~ Samson Colborn ~ Darlene Delaney Joan Harrigan ~ Jamie Nderitu ~ Maurice Berger Tom Schoettle ~ Sal Rullis Msgr. Fitzpatrick - Fr. Ed Kearns Parish Life Mary said: My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior, for he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed. God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is his name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him. THE COOKBOOKS ARE IN! As part of our 2019 Year of Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, a second printing of our original cookbook is now available. If you have enjoyed some of the delicious dishes served at our Parish Family events, you no doubt have often heard, It s in the cookbook! The original fundraiser, designed to help purchase our statue of St. Maximilian Kolbe, was a labor of love that sold 796 cookbooks featuring 450 favorite recipes of members and friends of our St. Max Family. Did you miss the opportunity to get your copy? Is your copy so well-used that you need a new one? Would you like to give friends and family a gift that is truly in good taste? Only 300 copies have been printed. Buy your copy soon; like good cooking, they will disappear quickly! Pick up your copy in the Parish Office during business hours in the narthex after Masses, or use the form at the bottom of the page and return it with your payment to St. Max s Parish Office in person or mail to: St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, P.O. Box O, Pocono Pines PA 18350, or drop it in the collection basket. Please make your check payable to St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish, and write COOKBOOK in the memo. Questions? Call Mary at or Lynnette at Name Phone # Mailing Address Number of Copies Ordered: Total Enclosed ($10/copy) Do you need your cookbook(s) mailed to you? Please add $4 per copy and indicate on the lines below how many to send and where we should send your order. Number of copies to be sent Postage Included ($4 per book) $ Mail to:

6 Parish Life Prayers for Military and Government Service HA Valerie Novak ~ Sr. Airman Charlie Maldanado Alston Smart, Jr.~ Eugene Maslar, Jr ~Sgt. Matthew Price 1st Lt. Mark Gaido ~ Lt. JG Michael Huf Airman Patrick Alminde ~TECH Sgt. William D. Olsen Seaman Nicole Beckman ~ Cpl. John P. Bramley Lt. Joseph V. Yuskaitis, Jr. - Major Thomas M. Smith 2nd Class Petty Officer DC2, Jeffrey Royall Sgt. Amber Keppol ~ Sgt. Andrew Malave Sgt. Matthew Ponce ~ MK1 Katie Stodnick Meetings are the 1st & 3rd Mondays of the 7 pm in the parish hall. ~ ~Facebook: Knights of Columbus Pocono Pines Gaudete Sunday is the name given to the third Sunday of Advent, the nearly four-week season leading up to Christmas. In 2018 this date is Sunday, December 16th. So, why do we need a reminder to rejoice by lighting a rose -colored candle on our wreaths and having priests wear rose-colored vestments at Mass? Because the happiness that comes from fun and friends and a full belly is not the same thing as Christian joy. The name "Gaudete Sunday" is taken from the words of the introit, Gaudete in Domino semper, "rejoice in the Lord always." This Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice because the Lord is near. Does your heart rejoice and sing, or are the pressures and burdens of life weighing you down? We can easily become overwhelmed. The weaknesses and sins of life, indeed our own weakness and sin, eat away at the joy and hope God wants us to know. Those who are grounded in their faith and possess deep spiritual lives know that God is near. Realizing this puts life into perspective. We really want to be free from our burdens but do not always know how to achieve this. We keep stumbling and falling. Advent is a time when we can learn to "do life differently," just like John the Baptist instructed the crowds. Joy and hope are the gifts God offers, not anxiety and despair. Parish Life Youth Group Event. December 30th, (Sunday) Christmas Caroling to a few of our parishioners that are home bound in the area - 3 pm. Hot chocolate and cookies in the church hall after caroling "Our world has been filled with noise. It is time to enter into the classroom of silence." -- Matthew Kelly ************************** What is meditation? "Meditation is above all a quest." Meditation is a Christian practice of prayer dating back to the early Church. As the Catechism states: "Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking." By meditating on the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts, spiritual writings, or "the great book of creation," we come to make our own that which is God's. "To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: "Lord, what do you want me to do?" (CCC ) Week of December 15th Sanctuary Light In Memory of Wayne Hunt by Mildred Hunt and Family Bread and Wine For The Unborn Advent Candles & Wreath Special Intention Bulletin submissions can be ed to mcol@ptd.net or brought into the parish office. Please submit two weeks prior to publication date otherwise we cannot promise publication date desired. ~ Thank You

7 Around The Diocese EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS I wish I were a better steward. I would like to think I am a pretty generous person, and I do work hard to cultivate the characteristics of a good Everyday Steward in my life. However, stewardship is about more than giving. It is also about prudence and wise planning. It is about storing up grain for the lean years and making sure there is enough oil to light your lamps when the power goes out. If I were a better steward, I would have that $1,000 emergency fund to dip into when I need a car repair. I would save more for retirement and vacation. I would have more food in the garage freezer because I bought more on sale and prepared for when money was a little tighter. In a nutshell, I would be prepared for whatever comes my way, good or bad. Advent is a time of preparation. We not only prepare for Christmas, but for the day when Jesus Christ returns again. Unfortunately, we too often act like this is the only time to prepare for such events. We should be preparing all throughout the year. If we only focus on our spirituality at Advent and Lent, then we are poor stewards of our time the rest of the year. The wise steward is always cultivating their faith and working to improve their relationship with God. They know that they need to be prepared for anything at any time. They stand ready, waiting for the call of their God. -- Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS Donate Your Passenger Seat to Help Save Lives Volunteers are needed to drive cancer patients to treatment! All you need is a good driving record, a current, valid driver s license, complete an American Cancer Society training course, access to a safe and reliable vehicle, proof of adequate auto insurance and availability - Mon. thru Sat. during the hours of 7 am & 7 pm Contact cancer.org/drive or LIHEAP - Helps low-income families pay their heating bills. To apply, you will need the names of people in your household; their dates of birth; social security numbers for all and a recent heating bill. Apply online at: or request one by calling the LIHEAP After your application is processed, you will receive a written notice that will tell you if you qualify and the amount of your grant. Around The Diocese VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY JANUARY Thru APRIL 2019 Tax time is just around the corner! Once again, AARP together with RSVP will join forces to assist county residents complete their simple tax returns at no cost. Services will be offered at the following locations: Tannersville - St Luke s Ambulance Bldg.; Smithfield Library; Middle Smithfield Township Bldg.; Hugh Library, Stroudsburg Volunteers must be comfortable with using computer and enjoy working with people. There will be a twoweek training period, beginning in January. If you are interested in learning more please contact Emily at the RSVP office by calling St. Maximilian Kolbe is a Welcoming Roman Catholic Parish If you would like to join our parish, registration forms may be found in our church narthex and in the parish office or if you prefer, register online at You may also call the parish office ( ) and we would be happy to send you a registration form. FOOD PANTRY NEWS Location: Five Loaf House 133 Fire House Rd., Pocono Pines Next Distribution date - January 14th & 15th Monday - 8:30-11:00 am; 12:00-2:00 pm; 4:00-5:00 pm; Tuesday - 8:30-11 am Food Donations are accepted on Mon/Tues only, from 9 am -11 am, or call Elaine Madere has closed the furniture side of her charity. She will be accepting essential household items. She no longer will be taking clothes, baby items, furniture and decorative items. The next distribution at the Clymer library for this year will be December 7th through December 10th, from noon on Friday and closes at noon on Monday. It is open to all in need. If you have donations contact Elaine at or her at elainemadere@yahoo.com St. Maximilian Parish greatly appreciates the support of the advertisers allowing our congregation to receive this bulletin at no cost to the church. While we appreciate their support, we are not liable for any of their actions, fees, or services.